Unleashing The Storm
by Nora-HBS-Girl
Summary: John and Nora find much more then comfort and friendship in each other's arms when Marty and Bo are killed. The question that remains is will they allow love to bloom or let guilt keep them in the past? (200 Word Drabble Series)
1. Fight

**1. Fight**

_"Go awa_y," he screamed at her, as she stood there watching him turn over furniture. The rest of the world had left as his rage made him unbearable to be around...she wouldn't be that person.

"No," she said, walking closer. "No, I will not leave."

She took his hand in hers...the blood from broken glass, now evident in his callused fingers. "You can yell...you can rage...you can call me names if you must...but I am not going to leave..."

"_Why...why do you want to be around this...you're better then this Nora...you shouldn't have to see this kind of ugliness_?"

"And you shouldn't have to become it. Here, let me bandage that for you."

"_I don't want your fucking help Nora...leave me alone...leave me the hell alone_."

"I already told you that's not going to happen...you don't scare me."

"I should...everyone I touch ends up..."

His words broke off as a single tear rolled down his face...she grabbed him as she took him with her to the ground.

"It's not your fault John...It's not your fault."

She left no room for interpretation...she simply took his crumpled body into her arms and held him. They had both loved her...but John had blamed himself...she wouldn't let him go down this dark and dangerous road... she wouldn't.


	2. Bandage

**2. Bandage**

Nora reached for his hand as she took the first aid kit from the floor. She removed the peroxide and spilled some on his wound. He screamed out in agony and she smiled at him. "Oh you big baby," she said.

"You're enjoying this aren't you," he cursed?

"Oh yeah, you're a real party," she said, fastening the bandage on his hand. "Maybe next time you should stop breaking glasses...unless of course you like the pain. "

"Why are you still here...haven't you heard I'm bad news by now...haven't you seen enough?"

"I'm here because I care...and if you think you can scare me away, you're wrong. I don't scare easily John. I know what it's like to lose someone...I lost someone too you know?"

"Oh Nora...I'm..."

"Don't say it okay...Don't..."

"Then maybe you could answer me something... How do we move on from this...how do we ever surviving losing the people we loved most in this world?"

"I don't know...but one thing I do know is that wallowing won't help...they're still going to be gone John...I hate it...but nothing we do will bring them back...nothing."

Tears fell from her face and he remembered the baby..."Oh Nora...Nora the baby..."

_"Will never know her father...I know...It breaks my fucking heart...there...I said it_.._.I fucking hate this...all of it...I hate all of it...He said he'd never leave me and he lied...he fucking lied." _

And this time he was the one who drew her into his arms as she wept. They had both lost someone that night...she had lost so much more...

They cried in each other's arms as they grieved the loss of the people they loved...it wasn't about who had lost more with them...it was two friends clinging to each other for dear life as their worlds came undone.


	3. Why

**3. Why**

_Why...The word that stood between them as much as the ghosts of the people they had loved and did things have to end the way they did...why didn't they do things differently...why hadn't they gotten a chance to say goodbye...so many questions...no answers. _

_"Why didn't you stop him," she cried? "Why didn't you make him stay here with me instead of galloping around the world with Marty...you knew they were chasing a ghost John...why didn't you go instead? why?" _

Her hands were jamming into his stomach now...the weight of the world now on her shoulders...she didn't really blame John...he knew that...

"Nora...Nora stop," he said. She was now incoherent as she hit him over and over again. "_Why didn't I beg him to stay...why didn't I ask him...just once...why..." _

Her words were then tangled in her tears as John grabbed her hands and pulled her to him. He would have let her rail if it would do any good...he knew it wouldn't.

"It's not your fault Nora...You didn't know...neither of us knew. The plane went down without any warning...at least we know they didn't suffer."

"How do you know that John...how...we don't even have a body to say goodbye to. How am I supposed to do this without him...how?"

"I don't know baby...I don't know."

The look of brokenness lay between them as they fell into each other's arms... neither of them had a clue how to get through the next five minutes...let alone, a lifetime.


	4. Madness

**4. Madness**

She heard her phone ringing and in a trance, she picked it up. It was a message that didn't make it through until now. Her heart crumbled when she heard the words. "_Red it's me...I just called to say goodbye. I wish I could hear your voice one more time...kiss you, make love to you...God, I'm going to miss you...take care of our children...tell them daddy loves them...I LOVE YOU...never forget that baby...but please...don't be sad...please find someone to love you as much as I did...someone to give you the life you deserve...someone who will love our children and treat you right...please baby...please...I'm so sorry...so damn sorry..." _

The message didn't complete and she was screaming at the phone trying to hear his dying wish. "_He knew he was dying John...he knew...so much for your theory that he wasn't suffering." _

"_He wasn't...Nora look at me...look at me_," he said, as he grabbed her face. "He _didn't_ suffer because he used his last moments to call you...to tell you how much he loves you...how he wants you to move on...be happy...You have no idea how much I wish I knew how Marty felt... you got more then most people ever do..."

_"I don't want a damn eulogy John...I want him. I fucking want him._"

Her anger scared him because he knew it all too well... and he followed her outside where she was taking a bat to his car. She had driven over in it because she thought she would feel closer to him...now she just wanted to die with him. _"I hate you...I hate you so much," she was screaming. "You said you'd never leave me and you lied...you lied." _

John grabbed her around the waist as she continued to swing...he was afraid of what she would do next but he needed to stop her...needed to make her see that he hadn't intended to leave her..."Nora, stop...just stop...give me the bat...it's okay...you can do this...nice and slow."

"I don't want to do this without him," she cried, as John lifted the bat from her clenched hands. "I don't hate him...I never could...I love him so much...so much...all I want is for him to come back to me...I can't do this without him John...I can't..."

"I know baby...I know...We both know you don't have a choice.

"Why...why did they leave us John...why...I miss them so much...so much."

"Me too baby...me too."

As she slid to the mud on the ground beneath the car, John didn't have to say anything further for her to know he understood. He simply wrapped his arms around her in an offer of comfort...neither of them able to muster anything other then painful sobs.


	5. Embrace

****

He held her in his arms for a lot longer then he probably should...except they both knew that clinging to each other was their only means for survival. He didn't want to go back to an empty apartment...she didn't want to go back to a cold and lonely house.

"It's okay Nora," he whispered, when he finally let her go. "We'll make it through this somehow...I don't know how but we will. "

"I don't want to be alone tonight John...I'm terrified of waking up alone and then remembering that he's gone. I can't deal with that. I just can't."

"I know. I don't want to be alone either. It scares me to be surrounded by all of her things and know she's not just on a vacation. What's going to happen when we finally have to face that they're gone?"

She reached out and touched his cheek, tears falling from her face. "How could we have lost them forever John? How are we supposed to be okay again?"

"I don't know...but it sure won't be tonight...let me take you home Nora...at least let me do one thing right...let me make sure you're safe."

She took his hand as he helped her off the ground but when they were standing in front of the car, her voice cracked. "I don't have a home anymore John...Bo was my home."

"I don't have one either," he said suddenly, realizing that he was in the exact same boat. Neither of them could live in a place where the ghosts of their lost loves would haunt them forever.

"Come here," he said simply. She didn't need to be prodded. She walked into his arms and let him hold her as they once again cried together, knowing they were indeed each other's lifeline.


	6. Fire

**6. Fire**

Nora and John couldn't stand to look at Bo and Marty's things anymore...so they decided to have a bonfire. Nora was shaking as she went through the house and threw almost everything into the pit. There were some things she had kept...things she knew she would hate herself for parting with...but everything else went into the pit...John did the same with Marty's things...things that wouldn't mean something to her son...silly, trivial things that meant nothing to anyone but them. The clothes they boxed up and sent to goodwill.

John held Nora against his side as he poured the lighter fluid into the pit and they watched the life that they knew go up in flames. "Are you okay," he asked her a moment later?

"No," she responded, still crying. "Are you?"

"Not at all."

There was a moment of silence before Nora finally asked. "Where do we go from here?"

"Anywhere but here," he responded. She knew he was right. She could find a place to live and raise her children...but she could never do it in the place where she was supposed to raise them with Bo...that life was over...as much as it hurt, she couldn't stay trapped there. John felt the same about his life with Marty. He knew it in no way compared to her marriage but it was a common thread that bound them forever...they had both loved and lost...

"I miss them," she said, through a broken heart.

"I miss them too," he agreed.

When she fell to the ground, an emotional wreck, her hand on her abdomen, he went with her. "Nora are you okay...is the baby okay..."

She turned to him then...tears blinding the questions in her eyes. "I would give anything to be okay John...we will never be okay again."

She put her head in his lap and began to sob...he stroked her hair as he held her close. "We might not be okay but we can survive," he said. "Together we can survive."

She knew he was right just as she knew that they were about to cross over the line...John knew that too...They might hate themselves for it...but they needed each other in a way they couldn't possibly comprehend...They needed each other more then air.


	7. Rain

**7. Rain**

The rain had been coming down for hours now...neither of them had moved from that particular place on the ground. She was broken and he was broken...the rain only served as a reminder. When she started to shiver, he knew he had to get her out of the storm, so he offered her a hand as he stood.

"Where are we going," she asked him?

"Some place warm," he responded. "I know you don't want to stay here...I can't stay at Marty's..."

"So don't...stay with me John...Please don't leave me," she begged, in half sobs, as he helped her off the ground.

"I wasn't planning on it...but we can't stay here in the rain...you're freezing."

"Not nearly as cold as the pain in my heart."

"I know baby...I know," he responded, as he helped her walk to his car. They might want to stay here and die...but they couldn't...they both had people counting on them to survive...that meant finding some place warm to stay, at least for the night. Neither of them could stand to stay with ghosts of the past as an alternative.


	8. Solace

**8. Solace**

John brought her to a little hotel on the outskirts of town. He would have offered to get a separate room, except with the storm, there had only been one left...and only one bed. It hadn't mattered to them...they were grieving and just wanted sleep.

"You're going to catch frostbite," he said, as she sat on the foot of the bed, still shivering from the wet clothes she sat in. He hadn't intended anything when he slowly removed her clothes...he had only intended on keeping her warm. That hadn't been what actually happened.

"I need you John," she said, through tears. "Please...please don't turn me away."

If it had been any other woman, he might have. If it had been any other reason, he would have. He thought of Marty...she thought of Bo...they needed something to get them through the impossible agony of the first lonely nights...they needed each other.

"I...I need you too," he choked out, as their lips connected in a fiery kiss. She reached for his pants as he continued to kiss her. She felt the sting of betrayal as her skin brushed against his own...but she couldn't seem to find her voice...couldn't seem to turn away from the only air she needed to breathe tonight...and neither could he.

When she had finished undressing him, he laid her back on the bed and covered her body with his. It wasn't a love connection when he held her trembling body in his and pushed his dick into her...it was two lost souls having sex as a means of survival...

"Again," she said brokenly when it was finished. "Please...I need to feel you again."

He understood her all too well...because when they were fucking...everything was about that next orgasm...they didn't have to remember that their world was gone...She didn't love him and he didn't love her...but somehow when they were screwing, it was as if they did...they loved each other as best as they could because it meant that they didn't have to miss their lost loves...fucking became their salvation that night.


	9. Regret

**9. Regret**

He woke up and found her crying in the bathroom. Her head was in the toilet so he knew she was having a bout with morning sickness. "Nora," he said, as he came and sat on the floor beside her. "Nora, are you okay?"

"No...No, I'm not," she cried out, through her pain. "Last night was...a mistake."

"I know...I'm sorry...I just wanted to help you feel better...but it was...It was so wrong. I never wanted to hurt you more."

"That's not possible John...I lost the man I love...the father of two of my children...and I'm...I'm so lost without him...nothing you do could ever make that worse...but...but we never should have turned to each other that way...it was a sin...I still feel like we betrayed them...betrayed their memory."

"I feel that too...maybe we should...stay away from each other...at least for a while."

"Do you really think that will help," she asked?

"Maybe."

"Yeah, Maybe."

She asked him for some privacy and he gave it to her...he might have seen her naked the night before but it wasn't anything that required the right to invade her personal space now...she wanted to be alone...he would give her that.

_They both whispered their regret from different sides of the door. _


	10. Evasive

**10. Evasive**

They hadn't been able to stay away from each other...their resolve had lasted for about five minutes. But they hadn't talked about what happened either...they had done everything possible to pretend that it hadn't happened.

_Except it had...their relationship was different because of it._

Until he found her sitting on the docks that night...tears covering her pretty eyes. "You shouldn't be out here all alone," he said.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what? Nora, you haven't done anything wrong."

"Are you kidding me...I've done everything wrong. I needed you...and I just pretended that we were nothing."

"Do you still need me," he asked her?

"I think I needed you ever since that night...I don't know what happened...I used to be fine...but then..."

"Then you lost Bo...it's okay to need someone Nora."

" I needed Bo and he died...I know it's not fair to ask you but..."

"You're not asking...I'm offering..."

"Offering what exactly?"

"Whatever you need...just tell me...what do you need?"

"I need a friend," she said. "More then anything...I just need a friend."

"Then you have one...for life. I loved Bo too you know? I miss him too."

"I know you do...and I miss Marty too. It's not fair that they left us all alone. It's not fair."

"Whoever said that life was fair? Come here?"

He opened his arms and she fell into them...they sat on the docks together as she cried in his arms. They both missed someone terribly...but tonight they had found something valuable...they found friendship...friendship with someone who truly understood...


	11. Fear

**11. Fear**

She had never been so scared in her life...John had been right there with her. When she discovered the bleeding, she had been terrified she had lost her baby...he had taken her right to the hospital. His quick thinking had saved her child's life. The doctor's had ordered her to bed rest and told her to avoid stress...which was kind of funny, considering she had just lost her husband and one of her best friend's in a plane crash.

He sat at the foot of her bed...hospitalization and fluids were necessary. "You don't have to stay John...I'm sure you have more pressing matters then baby sitting me," she had said.

"I'm not baby sitting you...I'm right where I want to be," he said.

There was a brief pause as they both pondered what would come next. Then he took her hand and she was surprised by the warmth she felt by the sentiment. "John," she started to say, but he ignored it. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles and said simply. "I don't know what I would have done if I lost you too."

She wiped a tear from her face and looked at him. "I didn't know I mattered that much to you," she said simply.

"You matter much more then you should," he said. Neither of them acknowledged what the hidden meaning meant. She simply said through a broken voice..."I don't think I could have withstood losing my child too...thank you...thank you for saving us."

"Don't mention it," he said, as he looked at the ground trying to avoid her eyes. She wasn't looking at him either. They hadn't talked about what had happened between them...maybe it was because they were afraid of what was happening right now...afraid that their feelings would get jumbled up in the grief and lead to much more then it should...afraid they would have sex again. They were both afraid that next time they wouldn't be able to keep their distance.


	12. Thunder

**12. Thunder**

She had been home from the hospital for three days now. She had purchased a house on the ocean because she thought it would be peaceful. He had been staying with her for those days because he was afraid to leave her alone...and because he had no where else to go...she hadn't protested.

He slept in the guest room, which was right next door to hers...

Tonight the thunder struck and he heard her scream...he was in her room in a flash. She came quickly to his arms when he sat on her bed. "I'm so scared John...I'm so scared."

"It's going to be okay baby...the thunder can't hurt you."

"It was thundering when they died too," she said.

"I know...baby I know."

He wiped her tears away with steady hands and gentle fingers...he held her in his arms and made her feel safe again...Except when they pulled away and their eyes locked...safe was the last thing she wanted to be. This was the moment they were afraid of...this was the moment they couldn't say no again.


	13. Kiss

**13. Kiss**

He cupped her face in his hands, brushing back the stray hair with his fingers as he tipped her chin so she was facing him. He never would have imagined a time when she would come to mean this much to him but she did. He wouldn't have survived without her. He might have had sex with her to forget...except right now, he wanted to kiss her for her...

"I really want to kiss you right now but I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage..."

"I wouldn't think that," she said. "I want...I want to kiss you too."

They didn't take time to analyze... He used his fingers to gently guide her chin to his face...and then he brought his lips down on hers. He could feel the moistness on her lips as he tasted her...sweet and gentle at first...exploring the forbidden places he had trudged upon recently but never really paid attention to.

"You taste so good," he said, when they finally pulled apart. She was breathless against him when she rested her head against his forehead. "It's too soon," she admitted. "We should give it time...we shouldn't be doing this."

"I know...everything about us is wrong...but Nora...Nora, I need you like I've never needed anyone...I feel things for you I wish I didn't...And I can't help wondering what it would feel like to taste you again..."

"I...I wonder that too," she admitted, through a shaky voice. "I wish I didn't...But I wonder that too."

She was looking away from him so he scooted in closer...he lifted her face so she was looking at him.

"John, " she said. It wasn't a question. It was an invitation. They both knew it, though they wished they didn't. What stood between them now was a magnetic force that couldn't be put out.

He brushed his hand against her cheek, before he looked at her...telling her in an unspoken way that he cherished her...and then he tugged her against him urgently... allowing his tongue to glide between her lips in order to consume her...he consumed every part of her mouth as their bodies melted together and their kisses became more and more intense.


	14. Underwear

14. Underwear

Her hands were now lifting his shirt over his head and his were unfastening the belt on her slacks as he pushed them down her legs. Kissing had resumed as he backed them towards the bed and she stumbled onto the mattress...she was lying on her back as she reached for his pants...sliding them down his legs as he fell on top of her.

It wasn't until they were spooned together on the bed, half naked, in their underwear, that they realized that kissing could not just be kissing with them.

"This is so wrong," she said.

"I know," he agreed.

"We should stop," she said.

"We should," he agreed.

_They didn't stop. _

_They knew they had less then a minute before fooling around turned into full fledged intercourse...would they let it go that far?_


	15. Exposed

**15. Exposed**

John ran his fingers through her hair as he kissed her, his free hand trailing down her bare back until he reached her bra. She was moaning her desire as he unsnapped the hook and discarded the material onto the floor with the rest of her clothes.

"God you're beautiful," he said, as he brushed the stray hair out of her face and looked into her eyes.

There were tears welling in them as she looked back. "Nora is something wrong," he asked? "If you don't want this..."

She took his face in her hands as she roughly possessed his mouth with her tongue...kissing him hard and deep. "That's the problem John...I _do_ want this...I want _you._..much more then I should."

She let her hand reach for his boxers to pull them from his body urgently as he drew her naked flesh over his and devoured her breasts until they were completely in his mouth. "I need you John...I need you so badly," she whimpered against him.

His lips were on hers as he seduced her mouth...his engorged shaft just inches from entering her as she shook with desire...her cum already slipping between her legs and just about coating him

"Oh my God...how could you do this," Matthew said, as he pushed the door open?

"Unbelievable," Cole echoed. "Mom and Bo have been gone for how long and this is what you do to repay them."

She shot up from the bed, tears in her eyes. "You don't understand," she said. "You simply don't get what it is to grieve."

"You don't look like you're grieving much," Matthew said. "You look like a whore."

Before she could stop herself she ended up slapping him and then she was filled with remorse. "Oh God Matthew...God I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," he said. "Mom I'm sorry...I just...I miss dad...I miss him so much."

"And you think _I_ don't...Matthew, there is not a day that goes by when I don't miss him...when I don't wish he was here..."

"I know mom...I know...I'm sorry I said that...You know that I didn't mean it right?"

"I don't know Matthew...do you? Is that how you see me?"

"No...No mom, I don't...I was just...I was surprised okay."

"Well you're not the_ only_ one...come on...let's give John some time with Cole..."

"Don't go too far Nora...You're supposed to be in bed remember."

"Yes Doctor," she said, throwing her shirt back on and leaving with Matthew. John turned to Cole. "I know that you're upset...but please don't take this out on Nora. We've been through a rough patch okay. I can't explain to you how it feels to suddenly wake up and find that your world is gone...Nora and I are just trying to survive however we can."

"Did you sleep with her already?"

"I don't think that's any of your business?"

"You did didn't you?"

"What if I did? What happens between Nora and I is our business...just as your own sex life is yours."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you okay...I don't want to hurt either of you...I just...I miss her you know."

"I know...I miss her too...but Nora's helping in a way no one else can. I _can't_ bring your mother or Bo back...I _can_ help Nora through a difficult pregnancy by being there for her...please try to understand that."

"I will," he said. They shook hands and Cole left with Matthew. Nora and John turned to each other and sighed. They knew the moment for sex had passed. They couldn't get the moment back so they lay in bed and stared at the ceiling.


	16. Loss

**16. Loss**

John took Nora to the crash sight in a wheelchair. She wasn't supposed to be out of bed but she needed to see it...he did too.

"I can't believe this is where it happened...I can't believe we're never going to see them again," she cried.

"I know," he said, pausing. "Do you need some time alone?"

"What's the point John? He's gone. He's never coming back to me. My son thinks we're betraying them...are we?"

"Do you _honestly_ think that they would think that Nora? Do you?"

"I actually think Bo would approve...he probably set it up so we would be there for each other. He wouldn't want me to suffer."

"Marty wouldn't either. I think the kids were just surprised Nora. They'll be okay."

"Will _we _be okay John? Are we going to be able to do this...or is our love for Bo and Marty going to stand in the way?"

"That's up to you Nora...I can be your friend if that's all you want...Or...Or I can be more. I don't want to make things worse then they already are...so _you_ choose."

She paused momentarily as she cried out for all the pain she was in..."I love you Bo...I love you so much," she cried. "How could you leave me like this...how...I miss you terribly? I need you so bad."She clutched her stomach and John was at her side in a flash. "It's okay John...I'm okay...I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?"

"I am...I am as okay as I can be without him...will you take me home now? I don't want to remember them this way."

"Neither do I, he said. "I miss you Marty. I hope you're at peace. I love you."

"Goodbye," they both said into the wind, as tears filled their eyes. When they were back at the house, John tucked her in and was about to leave, when she grabbed his hand. "I choose _you_," she said, pulling him into a kiss.


	17. Passion

**17. Passion**

He didn't really need to ask her but he did. "Are you sure?" She didn't really need to answer but she did. "I'm sure."

Her long hair fell down at his face as she let it fall loose and he ran his fingers though it. He reiterated what he had said a thousand times before in the last few days. "You're so beautiful." He watched her as she unbuttoned her shirt just before she leaned over him with bedroom eyes.

"Make love to me John," she said. "Show me what I mean to you."

She was kneeling on the mattress before him so he sat up and pulled the open shirt from her shoulders...as she tucked her head in the curves aligning his neck, he glided his fingers along her collarbone, sending chills through her body as he slowly unhooked the strap of her bra. When the material was on the floor, he whirled her around in his arms so he could absorb the full effect of her hardened breasts.

She moaned against him as he pleasured her nipples with his teeth, until they were completely in his mouth. She grew rigid against his body as he laid her on the mattress. He pulled his shirt over his head and he watched her lick her lips in desire.

"Does somebody want to play," he asked her?

"Somebody wants to play very much," she gasped, in desperate hunger, reaching for the belt in the loops of his pants and tearing them down his legs. He kissed up her delicate legs as he hiked up her skirt. As his fingers slipped under her panties and were soon deep inside her heat, she was trembling beneath his own sweaty body. In a few more minutes, they had completely removed each other's clothes.

No more words were said, as they let their tongues dance together in soul searing kisses, their hands caressing the hot flesh of each other's bodies...John looked in her eyes as he drove his swollen shaft into her own throbbing pussy demandingly. He saw the lust flash in her eyes as she struggled for breath...and he lost his own as she nudged her desire deeper inside him...

He took her to new blissful heights as he held her in his arms and slipped in and out of her hard and fast...matching her own speed with his own...

It wasn't until hours later after their animal passion had taken them into an orgasmic climax, sweat dripping from their face as they lie between tangled sheets, sprawled out against each other, happy...when they realized how much they had come to rely on each other. She hadn't expected the question that came but she didn't shy away from it. It was the sweetest offer any one had ever given her.

"I'd like to help you raise your child Nora...will you marry me?"


	18. Torn

**18. Torn**

She wanted to be able to answer yes...except she couldn't. She pulled the sheet over her body as she looked at him with sadness in her eyes. It was like a bullet in the chest to him.

"John, I need to slow down. This is going a little too fast for me. I get what you're doing and I appreciate it."

"It was just a suggestion Nora. I know that when your baby is born..."

"They won't have a name...I know...It's something I've thought about a lot. But even though I don't regret us...marriage is something different. I can't marry you until I don't feel married to Bo...and right now I still do. "

He brushed the hair back from her face and laid a gentle kiss on her lips. "You can take all the time you need...I'm not going anywhere...I just wanted you to know that the offer was there."

"Thank you John...Thank you for being such a great friend...such a great...well whatever you are."

"I care about you Nora...I know things are moving fast...they are for me too...except for some reason it doesn't scare me...because when I'm with you, I have this distinct feeling that I'm right where I'm supposed to be."

"I feel that too...I know that we have a connection...we were drawn together out of so much loss..."

"And now its so much more then that Nora...I feel like I might be able to fall in love with you...I didn't think I'd get another chance at love...maybe you're it..."

"Maybe you're it for me too," she said, pulling him into a kiss. "I'm not saying no John...just not right now."

"Then how about a compromise."

"I could do compromise...what have you got in mind?"

"That you let me move in with you."

"John, we already talked about this."

"I know...and I'm asking again. Just think about it okay. You know I'm already crashing on your couch anyways. You can't make me go Nora. I worry about you."

"I don't want you to go...at least not today."

"That's a start," he said, kissing her passionately.

Life right now was just a little bit better because she was in it. A couple weeks ago, he never would have believed that. They were healing each other.


	19. Home

**19. Home**

Nora agreed to let John move in...but she insisted that it was only for the sake of her baby...she insisted that he have a separate room. They did their best to respect the feelings of the children involved...except they refused to part with whatever it was they were feeling because of it. The guilt was slowly subsiding but they still had a lot of healing to do. One day John came home with the deed to a new house and she looked at him in surprise.

"It's the house we looked at the other day. I'm not asking you to move in now. I just think that maybe as time goes on, we might want a house that we picked out together. I don't mean to pressure you."

"You're not John...The truth is that I need a bigger house. I only moved in here because I couldn't stay at a place where Bo was all I saw. I'm not ready to make a commitment with you just yet...but these papers...they proved to me just how right I was to trust you. You're a good man John Mcbain."

"I don't know about that," he said, almost jokingly.

"I do," she said, taking his hand and pulling him onto the bed with her. She looped her arms around his waist as she kissed him. "Hold me tonight John...just hold me."

He kissed the top of her head and then settled in under the covers with her. He would be content to hold her and nothing more as she slept in his arms. It was the first time he had ever felt that way about a woman before...the first time he could be in bed with a woman without having sex with her...and being completely fine with it.

_Because, in truth, Nora made him better...she made him WANT to be better...and that was the truest thing he had ever known...death had torn him apart...torn them both apart...but underneath all the misery...death had given him back something valuable...death had given him back his heart and made it possible for him to love an amazing woman...he just hoped she could stand to hear that soon. _


	20. Love

**20. Love**

A few days later, after she had been given a clean bill of health, John lay with Nora on the front porch swing during sunset. It was the simplest pleasure he had enjoyed in too long. When the sun set, he drew her face towards his...brushing the hair from her face as he looked in her eyes.

"I love you Nora," he said. "I don't think I've said that to a woman since Caitlyn. I just wanted you to know."

She was almost shell shocked by the words. She had been around when he couldn't say the words. It wasn't that he didn't love the women he was with...he just could never say it. She smiled when she looked at him...kissing him back soft and sweet. "What makes me different John? Why could you never say it before?"

"I think I was afraid of losing them...I'm not saying I'm not afraid of losing you too because I am...it terrifies me."

"I'm scared of losing you too John...I never would have survived all this time without you. You finally became the man I always knew you were..."

"Because of you...because you believed that I was better...I want to be that man for you Nora...I know you might not be ready to hear it but...but it doesn't make it any less true...I'm in love with you Nora...I want to build a life with you."

"I don't know what to say John..."

"You don't have to say anything...I didn't say it because I wanted to hear anything back."

"I know...but you deserve to know how I feel...I think it's very possible that I could be falling in love with you too. I'm not there yet...I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I'm having a baby...two babies...with a man who will never get to see them...I miss Bo...all the time...he was and always will be the love of my life...my soulmate...we were supposed to grow old together and we didn't get that...we were cheated out of that..."

"I know...I miss Marty too..."

"I know you do...which is why I know you understand that I know you can love more then one person. I will never stop loving Bo...I will love him for the rest of my life...but I think...I think it's very possible that what you and I have...that connection that keeps bringing us back here...I think that might also be love...John Mcbain, I think I love you too."

He smiled as she drew him into her arms passionately. She wanted him to do more then hold her tonight. She wanted him to make love to her... he wanted that too...he wanted so much more then he ever thought he would as he held her in his arms. They would make a good start of that tonight. Tonight they would become an official couple.


	21. Roses

**21. Roses**

He brought her roses when he showed up for their first date. She couldn't believe that he remembered her telling him they were her favorite. He kissed her as she put them in water and then admired the way her dress showed off her body.

"If you don't stop looking at me like that then we're never going to leave here," she said.

"Is that a threat," he joked.

"John," she said.

"Can't I admire the woman I love...who just happens to take my breath away."

She looked at him and smiled, a single tear rolling down her face as she took his face in her hands. "I love you John Mcbain," she said, as she threw her arms around him and kissed him. He had never in his life felt more joy by those three little words.


	22. Wheelchair

**22. Wheelchair**

She hadn't wanted to go in the wheelchair but he reminded her that it was either that or they didn't go out. She had been ordered to bed rest and he wouldn't let her risk her life or her children's. She knew she would come to thank him later. He took her out to a quiet dinner on the beach at sunset. She was content to watch him watch her.

"I love watching that look in your eyes as you watch me. It's the way that Bo used to look at me. I never thought I'd have that again."

"Well you were wrong...How about a dance...or is that too soon since..."

She took his hand and pressed a kiss to the knuckles. "You don't have to treat me like a china doll John. Bo and I did everything together. There isn't going to be something that doesn't remind me of him."

"I know...but I also know that dancing was your thing."

"It was...and he was a great partner...but he's not here...he'll always be with me because of our children...because I loved him madly...but I love you too...and just because I danced with Bo, doesn't mean I can't enjoy it with you too. Just don't step on my toes."

He smiled at her attempt at humor and lifted her up from the wheelchair. "I can't step on them if your stepping on mine," he said. She didn't know what he meant until they were on the terrace and he was guiding her across the dance floor with her feet on his shoes. It was his way of reminding her that she still needed to be careful. She didn't mind at all as she rested her head on his shoulder and they danced the night away...stealing kisses as they pledged their love to each other.


	23. Trust

**23. Trust**

Trust was a hard thing for either of them to give...and yet somehow, they had found it with each other. She never asked him where he went during the nights when he left her alone in the big empty house...He never asked her what she dreamt about in those moments when she would wake up in a cold sweat...moments when he knew it wasn't _him_ on her mind...they didn't need those words to prove their loyalty...they knew they already had it.

That was why when she received a visitor late at night from a woman who didn't wish them well... the first words out of her mouth had been "I don't believe you...I believe him."

People might have considered her a fool for trusting him at his word...but she knew him better then he even knew himself...and she knew that he couldn't have been what this woman was claiming...she saw the truth every time he looked at her...


	24. Weakness

**24. Weakness**

Some might have considered the tears a weakness...she knew that _he_ did. He had never shown this side of himself to anyone before her...she knew he would never show another soul.

"John, it's okay...whatever it is...it's okay," she said simply. It amazed him that she had never considered the possibility that her trust was misplaced.

"How can we be here Nora...how can you really look at me and not wonder if what she was saying was true?"

"Is that what this is...are you questioning my faith in you?"

"I just...what did I ever do to deserve an angel like you?"

She laughed slightly as she moved in closer to him. "I'm _no_ Angel John...I just know love when I see it...I see it in your eyes when you look at me...are you saying I read you wrong..."

"You read my exactly right...I've never loved anyone until you...not really..."

"You loved Marty...I _know_ you did..."

"I don't know how you can know that when I could never even admit it to myself...much less, her."

"I know because I know your heart...I know you are a different man because of her death..."

"Partly...but mostly I think I'm different because of you...because for some reason, you see something in me that nobody else would even consider seeing...I hope you know how much you mean to me...that I would never...ever...ever betray you...you know that don't you? You know how much I love you don't you?"

She smiled as she took his face in her hands. "I know that John...I know you...that's why I told her exactly where she could stick it..."

"You did huh? What else did you tell her?"

"I told her that you were _mine_...and if she didn't take her lying somewhere else, I would make sure she went straight to prison...once she understood how serious I was, she changed her story real quick..."

"That's because she knew you were right...I _am_ yours...she was scared that _you_ knew it too...She was scared of _you_ period"

"Why is that John? Why was she scared of me?"

"Because you have that effect on a person...you think_ I'm_ not scared of you? I'm terrified of you...I'm terrified of _us._.."

"Me too John...I haven't been this scared since..."

"Since Bo," they said in unison.


	25. Tease

**25. Tease**

"I'm cold," she stated. "Are you going to warm me up?"

He knew she was teasing him but he didn't care. He wanted to feel every part of her against him.

"What do I get in return," he teased back?

She hit him playfully as she leaned into his chest and whispered huskily. "What do I have to do to get you naked?"

"All you have to do is ask," he returned. "Are you asking?"

"Oh no," she said, as she ripped his shirt open. "I stopped asking a minute ago. Now I'm telling."

"What about you...you still have all your clothes on...don't I get to watch you strip?"

"You want a strip tease McBain?"

"I want you naked," he said.

"All right...I'll tell you what...if you agree to my terms, then I'll agree to yours."

"What terms are those," he asked, wickedly?

"I want to have sex with you...right here...right now...so strip McBain...take it all off...take..."

Her words were cut off as he devoured her mouth with his tongue...kissing her long and hard as he poured all of himself into her...throwing her down on the bed in the process..."All I'm going to take right now is _you_," he said.

"So take me," she said, and covered his lips with hers. "But don't be a slow poke or I'll take_ you_ instead." _It was questionable who took who first._


	26. Pure

**26. Pure**

John wanted nothing more than to prove that he had changed...and the best way he could think to do that was to show her a world she hadn't seen since she was married to Bo. She woke up to a box and a note lying beneath a single red rose.

_Put this on when you wake up...I'll be back in time to carry you away...no arguments Nora...I want to make sure your health isn't compromised...But I also think its time I showed the world what you mean to me...we're going on a date...get ready..._

She couldn't seem to help smiling when she read it...It had been so long since she had been on a date...she could already feel the butterflies in her belly as she opened the box. Her eyes nearly popped out of her sockets as she looked at the dress...a long red gown with spaghetti straps and matching shawl...She even had a red rose pin to clip her hair back with...shoes had been bypassed since she would be spending the time off her feet...

"Oh John," she whispered, as she wiped the sleep from her eyes and wandered into the bathroom. Who knew the man could be such a romantic? She certainly didn't. If he wanted a date then he would get one...she would knock his socks off.

"You aren't the only one who wants to prove that your intentions are pure," she said to herself. "I want you to know how much you mean to me. You will after tonight."


	27. Beautiful

**27. Beautiful**

She was standing out against the balcony rail when he walked in. She had her hair pinned up in a French twist, with curls coming down at her sides. When she turned around, he was 100% sure that his heart was lost forever...she could knock him off his feet with that smile.

"When are you going to get that bed rest means bed rest."

"Now how could I stay in bed when I have a date to prepare for?"

"Well you certainly clean up nice...I...I don't even have the words for how beautiful you are."

She smiled as she looped her arms around his waist and kissed him. "Then I'm accomplishing my goal...And You Mr. Mcbain, are definitely worth getting dolled up for...you look mighty sexy in that tux I might add."

"I hate tux's..."

"I know...but you wore one for me...how did I rate this sacrifice?"

"I wanted to show you off..."

"Then shall we go," she asked?

"We shall," he said, and then lifted her off the ground before she could protest. She was laughing all the way from their house to the carriage he had waiting for them.

"You got me a horse drawn carriage? Are you serious? How did you manage to put all this together?"

"I had a little help from our kids...I just wanted to make one of your dreams come true Nora...Is it too much?"

"No...No, I don't think it's too much at all...it's just right...you're just right...for me. "

"You're right for me too Nora...so much about you is right...You make me want to be the best man I can be..."

"You are John...You're a good man...one I think I could imagine a future with...and I appreciate you being patient with me...You're the man I always knew you could be...I just...when did you suddenly become this other person...I never knew you could be such a dashing hero...a romantic at heart."

"I never was...not until you...you make me want things I never wanted before."

"Like what?"

"Like a family and a home...I want it all with you Nora...every last moment of it."

"I want that too...but I also want the trimmings...I want to have what some people never find...moonlit walks and long talks...laughing till we cry...holding each other all night after making love...I want to go on dates and fall more in love with you...and when the time is right we'll both know it...getting married should be about us John...I've never married for anything other then love and I'm not about to start now."

He kissed her long and hard as she melted into his arms... and then he lifted her into the carriage. "You are a rare Gem, Nora Hanen...and I can't wait to experience it all with you."

She said nothing more as he joined her in the carriage and enfolded her in his arms... She rested her head on his shoulder as he pulled her closer. Their first official date was about to begin.


	28. Stone

**28. Stone**

They walked along the beach as John held her hand and she rested her head on his shoulder. There were moments when he didn't think it was possible for him to ever feel more for her...and then he realized he was falling more in love with her. He took her to a small cafe not far from where they were...and they sat on a patio with a great view of the beach. It was then that he handed her a box.

"It's not what you're thinking. We discussed getting married and I respect your decision," he said.

"Then what is this," she asked?

"Open it," he said.

She flashed him a smile and he felt the pitter patter of true happiness when he looked into her eyes. He would do anything to make her keep smiling like that.

"It's...It's my birthstone," she said. She was looking at a matching ring and necklace that held the Amethyst stone.

"The ring is because I really wanted to give you something to let all the available men know that you're taken."

"Am I taken John?"

"I sure hope so," he said, as he leaned in and kissed her deeply. She smiled as she raked her fingers through his hair. "I'm taken," she agreed, and he slipped the ring on her finger. For all intents and purposes it meant the same thing as a promise ring.

"And the necklace," she questioned?

"The necklace is because you deserve to wear something that makes you feel cherished...here let me help you."

He stood up and lifted her hair as he fastened the necklace around her neck. He couldn't help stealing a taste of her neck as he did it.

"Oh John," she moaned.

"What can I say...I have a hard time resisting you when you look this ravishing."

"That's the point," she said. "Let's dance John. I want to feel your arms around me as everyone stares at us in envy."

He reached out his hand and she took it. They danced slowly as they focused on each other...the rest of the world a distant memory.


	29. Sunset

**29. Sunset**

After they finished their meal, John took her to sit on the rocks outside the cafe so they could watch the sunset on the beach. John took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders as she settled in his arms.

"I feel so happy," she said. "For the first time since Bo died, I feel happy. And I have you to thank for that. Thank you John. Thank you for making me happy."

"You don't have to thank me for that. I like making you happy. I like watching you smile. And for the record, you make me happy too. I didn't think I was capable of being happy but you proved me wrong."

"I never thought I would enjoy the simple things like this again...watching a sunset...It's so breathtaking."

He turned her around so she was looking in his eyes...and he brushed the stray hair from her face. "Not as breathtaking as you," he said.

She didn't need to say anything else...they both felt it...the magnetic pull of his body and hers...and soon his tongue was exploring the inside of her mouth as his lips crashed down on hers. She shifted her hips as she let him hike up her skirt.

"Make love to me John," she whispered, as he pulled her panties down.

"I'm getting to that beautiful," he said.

"Well get there faster," she responded, as she yanked his jeans down his legs. "I'm so wet, I need release."

"You are soaked baby...slow down."

"I can't...I need you John...I need you so bad" she responded.

"I want you Nora...I'm Cumming."

They wasted no time with foreplay this time...John held her in his arms as he thrust his engorged shaft into her wet and tight hole...eliciting a very intense orgasm as she drew him deeper inside her. "You like that huh," he joked?

"You know I do," she responded. "Now do it again."

"My pleasure baby," he said.

She lost her breath momentarily as he drove his desire hard against her G spot and they lay tangled together on the sand. The sun was setting as they made love again and again...until they both exploded inside each other...drowning in an unbridled passion that just grew stronger every day. They already wanted each other again.


End file.
